Identity politics is a nasty thing. Everyone who isn’t a progressive knows this. At Cornell University, that slice of politics is rearing its ugly head, with the school’s black students group demanding that more African American students be enrolled. They’re concerned that there are too many Caribbean and African students. To start, their letter to the administration prefaces with the usual ‘there’s white supremacy everywhere’ angle.

We   attend a university where our peers believe we do not belong here; where   they decry the usefulness   and necessity of affirmative action; where they claim we segregate ourselves because we lean one each other to survive. We attend a university  that is  obsessed with the optics of our black and brown faces but is indifferent to the justice we seek.This is not an indictment of white people; this is an indictment of a system that   perpetuates white supremacy and shelters our peers under the   warm   blanket of white privilege- all the while,  we  are left  to freeze  in our  frigid  reality of  racist  epithets, essentialist curriculum,  and apathetic  governance.  In post-racial   America, our   classmates call  us  n***ers from  their  pickup trucks  in broad   daylight.  In post-racial   America, weare   berated   by airborne   bottles   on our   own   campus.In   post-racial America, we   are told we have a chip on our shoulder.   We are   called   everything but  our  name. Above all else, in   post-racial America we are bombarded by the deafening silence  that allows the centuries-old hum of  white supremacy to grow louder. Silence is violence.

The Interfraternity Council and  Panhellenic Council both present a system that not only excludes people of color,   but exudes white supremacy. The verbal and physical assault of a young black student, committed by members   of the Chi Chapter of Psi Upsiloncannot   go unpunished and the Cornell   administration  can no longer stand silent while we are under attack. The fact that it has taken the administration far too long to realize the extent of the systemic issues   that exist at our school is unacceptable.

Then, they go on listing their demands that they think will solve the university’s supposed problems in this area of racial injustice (via Daily Caller):
Cornell University’s Black Students United demanded the university start recruiting more black American students because the campus has too many African and Caribbean students Wednesday.

Black Students United, a group for students identifying with the African diaspora, handed the university president a list of twelve demands, with one of them dealing with the disproportionate representation of African students compared to black students on the campus.

[…]

Black Students United takes issue with the fact that there are more African and Caribbean students on campus when compared to black students. The group defines black students as those who come from black families that have lived in America for two or more generations. While the group said it doesn’t mind the university trying to recruit African students, they want the college to pay more attention to black students whose families have been affected by years of white supremacy.

[…]

The demands from Black Students United come after a black student alleged that fraternity Psi Upsilon members brutally assaulted him and called him a “n*gger.” The demands also call for the frat to be shut down and give up its house to students of color to gather.

And yes, they want new coursework that is guided along the rigid confines of identity politics:

We   believe   that our   community   has a   responsibility   to learn   about   the ways   in   which systems   of power   and privilege   continue   to inform   the   experiences of   people   of color   both   on campus   and out   in the   world.   We believe   mandatory   course work will   provide   an initial   means   of challenging and   dismantling   the white   hegemony   that pervades   the   university’s   present curriculum.

We   demand that   all   employees of   the   university, academic   and otherwise   (including   tenured professors),   to have   appropriate,   ongoing training   (tied   to evaluations   and   payroll) that   deals with   issues of   identity   (such as   race,   class,religion,   ability   status, sexual/romantic   orientation, gender,   citizenship   status,etc.).   We   want this   coursework   to be   explicitly   focused on   systems   of power and   privilege   in the   United   States and   centering   the voices   of   oppressed people.

All I can say is that I’m glad I graduated before this insanity took hold at my college.

For more on this story go to: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/10/01/ivy-league-black-students-group-there-are-too-many-african-and-caribbean-students-here-n2389020